I have had my VTR1000 for a few months now and have gotten quite comfortable riding it very fast in corners. The bike seems to handle really well and seems quite forgiving, but I was dragging the footpegs last weekend, so I will now replace those.
I have actualy never touched my knee down before, but I am starting to feel like it could happen real soon. Does anyone have any advice on holding a smooth line in a corner and touching down the knee? Also, any feedback on how these bikes respond in that type of cornering? In other words, does the bike feel confident or a little sketchy?
Knee Dragging on a VTR1000...
Hello matey,
If you are touching down the foot pegs then you dont need to lean the bike over any more!
All you need to do now is get your position on the bike right and, most importantly, relax! I kid you not, the first time I did it was when I wasnt trying - I went into a sweeping corner a bit quick and hung off the bike to compensate and before I knew it my knee was on the floor!
So dont go round and round a corner thinking "I must get my knee on the floor god dammit" because it wont happen. In the UK, a nice big open roundabout is the perfect learning ground. Get the bike into a nice steady speed (doesnt need to be quick to start with) and gradually build up the lean angle and speed to get the bike over enough. As you do this youll need to position yourself on the bike - this may depend on factors such as you height but for me its the classic elbow half off the seat, inside foot pointing NE and the knee in a relaxed, hanging out state rather then a purposfull pushed out as far as possible state. At this lean angle the right arm should be used to counter steer with the left arm fairly tight towards the tank edge.
Be warned, once you have done it it is VERY VERY addictive!!
Obviously, this is only how I do it and not by any means a definitive guide.
Try it and good luck.
One other important Tip - dont look at your knee while your doing this!!!!
Cheers
Wayne
If you are touching down the foot pegs then you dont need to lean the bike over any more!
All you need to do now is get your position on the bike right and, most importantly, relax! I kid you not, the first time I did it was when I wasnt trying - I went into a sweeping corner a bit quick and hung off the bike to compensate and before I knew it my knee was on the floor!
So dont go round and round a corner thinking "I must get my knee on the floor god dammit" because it wont happen. In the UK, a nice big open roundabout is the perfect learning ground. Get the bike into a nice steady speed (doesnt need to be quick to start with) and gradually build up the lean angle and speed to get the bike over enough. As you do this youll need to position yourself on the bike - this may depend on factors such as you height but for me its the classic elbow half off the seat, inside foot pointing NE and the knee in a relaxed, hanging out state rather then a purposfull pushed out as far as possible state. At this lean angle the right arm should be used to counter steer with the left arm fairly tight towards the tank edge.
Be warned, once you have done it it is VERY VERY addictive!!
Obviously, this is only how I do it and not by any means a definitive guide.
Try it and good luck.
One other important Tip - dont look at your knee while your doing this!!!!
Cheers
Wayne
getting me knee down was something I felt was quite easy on my old 600.
i've hung off the seat a bit on my storm but no joy as yet..mind you i've only had the bike 4 days
one thing I have noticed though is how after only a few journeys after scrubbing in my new tyre that i've already managed to lean the bike to amost to the edge of the tread on the rear(michelin hi-sport rear)...so give me a a week or two and I reckon the knee down will come.
Havent scraped the pegs yet so I must have a bit more leaning to go
i've hung off the seat a bit on my storm but no joy as yet..mind you i've only had the bike 4 days
one thing I have noticed though is how after only a few journeys after scrubbing in my new tyre that i've already managed to lean the bike to amost to the edge of the tread on the rear(michelin hi-sport rear)...so give me a a week or two and I reckon the knee down will come.
Havent scraped the pegs yet so I must have a bit more leaning to go
Thanks for the feedback. I am going out this Sunday and I will let you know if I touch it down....I knew if I was scraping that peg I had to be close.
One more thing though....if I replace those pegs, can the bike lean much further or is she gonna slip out me if I lean much more than where those stock pegs touch?
One more thing though....if I replace those pegs, can the bike lean much further or is she gonna slip out me if I lean much more than where those stock pegs touch?
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firestorm_al
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This is not really what you want to hear but I've been riding nearly five years and, on the road anyway, have never touched the peg down on the road while riding the vtr.
I don't describe myself as a quick rider but I've been known hold my own against most of the sane non-straightlining chaps up here when it comes to getting through the twisties.
Most of the riders I go out on runs on generally ride minimum of fast 600 sports bikes but usually the likes of VFR's, Blades, SP1/2's, Milles, R1's, Ducati's and even an ex-racer on his down geared 748S. And every now and then, when we're well away from civilisation, we've been know to up the pace. I've left most of those guys trailing when I had the VTR except Andy on his 748 but having said that he was hangin off the thing like a monkey.
Basically what I'm tring to say is that, on the road, it doesn't necessaraly make you any faster it's, on the whole, just show boating.
One of the guys that I ride with is the complete opposite to me in that he will hang off the bike just turing into the garage to fuel up. Most off putting if you ask me cause if you're following him out on the open road he seems more obsessed with hanging off the bike than actually riding the bike round the corner. There's been a few times he has backed off to get him self hanging off on a medium fast corner and I've ended up having to go round the outside of him and that's on my 600 Bandit.
I really think I should get back to work now!
I don't describe myself as a quick rider but I've been known hold my own against most of the sane non-straightlining chaps up here when it comes to getting through the twisties.
Most of the riders I go out on runs on generally ride minimum of fast 600 sports bikes but usually the likes of VFR's, Blades, SP1/2's, Milles, R1's, Ducati's and even an ex-racer on his down geared 748S. And every now and then, when we're well away from civilisation, we've been know to up the pace. I've left most of those guys trailing when I had the VTR except Andy on his 748 but having said that he was hangin off the thing like a monkey.
Basically what I'm tring to say is that, on the road, it doesn't necessaraly make you any faster it's, on the whole, just show boating.
One of the guys that I ride with is the complete opposite to me in that he will hang off the bike just turing into the garage to fuel up. Most off putting if you ask me cause if you're following him out on the open road he seems more obsessed with hanging off the bike than actually riding the bike round the corner. There's been a few times he has backed off to get him self hanging off on a medium fast corner and I've ended up having to go round the outside of him and that's on my 600 Bandit.
I really think I should get back to work now!
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firestorm_al
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AL
dead right mate , its all about posing and having fun . i sometimes ride with a racer and can sometimes stay close when going for it but under these conditions i dont get my knee down cos i cant think fast enough . i only get my knee and toe down when thats what i want to do , geting your knee down is not about going fast its about feeling good , a bit like wheelies you dont need to do it but it feels grrrrrrrrreat
dont forget i'm talking roads not tracks
FIRESTORM FIRESTORM I LOVE MI FIRESTORM
Buzz
dead right mate , its all about posing and having fun . i sometimes ride with a racer and can sometimes stay close when going for it but under these conditions i dont get my knee down cos i cant think fast enough . i only get my knee and toe down when thats what i want to do , geting your knee down is not about going fast its about feeling good , a bit like wheelies you dont need to do it but it feels grrrrrrrrreat
dont forget i'm talking roads not tracks
FIRESTORM FIRESTORM I LOVE MI FIRESTORM
Buzz
I have to agree with the description of riding fast and riding to get your knee down i go out with a bunch of lads CBR6 CBR9 R6 and when the roads are nice and quiet and out of the way we go for it 
and have a right good blast and we are all pretty evenly matched in the twistys and on the straights no knee down antics just fast riding.
But all my mates can if they want to slow it down change the line and destroy knee sliders, me on the other hand cant and its not for lack of trying if i slow it down change the line etc it just doesnt feel right going round the bend, and i have done the roundabout thing one cheek of the seat increase the speed etc not even a scrape 
much to the amusement of my mates who take the pi** no end.
Even followed one of my mates on his R6 round the roundabout (lots of times) and nothing, sad i know, its just a fun thing getting your knee down i will have to get it sorted this year or i will never live it down
and have a right good blast and we are all pretty evenly matched in the twistys and on the straights no knee down antics just fast riding.But all my mates can if they want to slow it down change the line and destroy knee sliders, me on the other hand cant
and its not for lack of trying if i slow it down change the line etc it just doesnt feel right going round the bend, and i have done the roundabout thing one cheek of the seat increase the speed etc not even a scrape much to the amusement of my mates who take the pi** no end.Even followed one of my mates on his R6 round the roundabout (lots of times) and nothing, sad i know, its just a fun thing getting your knee down i will have to get it sorted this year or i will never live it down
agreed that getting yer knee down don't make you any faster,if anything you end up going slower...like you say its a pose thing 
in my neck of the woods there is an S bend which you can enter at 80 odd mph and exit the second one at well over 100.I always remember a guy on a gsxr750 overtaking me on the entrance to the first corner and dragging his knee all the way round....his only trouble was that I came through the second bend much quicker than him and left him for dead
Knee sliding is only really used by racers a a gauge as to how far they've lean't over and doesnt really achieve anything on the road but pose factor and it makes your sliders look impressive!!!
a good diesel free roundabout is excellent to practice on and youcan always swap the kneee sliders over for extra pose factor!!
anybody who's got their knee down for the first time will never forget that scraping sound that the slider makes when it first touches down
in my neck of the woods there is an S bend which you can enter at 80 odd mph and exit the second one at well over 100.I always remember a guy on a gsxr750 overtaking me on the entrance to the first corner and dragging his knee all the way round....his only trouble was that I came through the second bend much quicker than him and left him for dead
Knee sliding is only really used by racers a a gauge as to how far they've lean't over and doesnt really achieve anything on the road but pose factor and it makes your sliders look impressive!!!
a good diesel free roundabout is excellent to practice on and youcan always swap the kneee sliders over for extra pose factor!!
anybody who's got their knee down for the first time will never forget that scraping sound that the slider makes when it first touches down
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firestorm_al
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grim the embalmer
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Hello getting your knee down on the storm is all about body position i've found 3rd gear best on roundabouts you don't need a lot of speed.
Not sure if fitting rear sets is a good idea,i use d207 tyres and i feel any more lean angle and i'll run off the edge of the tyre with obviously with dire consequences.perhaps slightly shorting the hero blobs might be useful.i do have some video of myself on a local roundabout sliding with sparkie sliders.looks great.
Not sure if fitting rear sets is a good idea,i use d207 tyres and i feel any more lean angle and i'll run off the edge of the tyre with obviously with dire consequences.perhaps slightly shorting the hero blobs might be useful.i do have some video of myself on a local roundabout sliding with sparkie sliders.looks great.
The knee down, the dream of so many, the fear of most. It is still something I aim to achieve, I was thinking about going on a track day to reach my goal!
Is that practice frowned upon at these events?
No where is that nappie .....
Is that practice frowned upon at these events?
No where is that nappie
.....Yes, another Fireblade owner, but fug me she shifts like s**t off the proverbial and handles like a dream (wet)
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Stormin Ben
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